Mission Trip to Northern Ireland
August 2004
On
August 12, 2004 eleven people from Fourth Church and Old
St. Patrick's Catholic Church departed from Chicago for
the Northern Ireland mission trip.
Participants in the trip were
Ray Casey, Therese Cullen, Stacy Jackson, Julie Kim,
Brian
Murphy, Joe Pixler,
Bob and Vicki Reynolds, Mary Riggen,
Mark Schimmelpfennig,
and Jeff Spang.
The theme of the trip
was peace and reconciliation. Our
main purpose was to listen so as to better understand the
sectarian conflct and the local response to social problems
created by these "troubles." We then hoped to explore
ways in which we can incorporate historical
context, education, and the stories
of people in
Northern Ireland involved in peace and reconciliation efforts
into our efforts for peace and social reconciliation in Chicago.
While in Belfast, the group was involved in a work project
at the 174 Trust, an ecumenical social service agency in
the New Lodge district of North Belfast.
The group also participated
in a Celtic spirituality retreat and visited with groups
such as the Peace People and Corymeela.
Journal Entries from the Trip
"Our Common Ministry" Article
Journal
Entries from the Trip:
Northern
Ireland was a journey that profoundly affected me. I
was not quite sure what to expect, and I think many in
our group felt the same. We were a mixed denominational
group, consisting of Catholics from Old St. Pats church
and our group from Fourth Presbyterian. Before the trip,
we discussed what our objectives were and decided we
would go as pilgrims, to listen and learn about what
people are doing in Belfast to heal and reconcile many
years of violence and senseless death. We hoped that,
upon our return, we could take what we had learned and
apply it here at home in our own community in whatever
way we could. There were so many things which I saw and
felt; it would take many pages to describe. However,
here are some memories which might help to describe a
kind of mission trip different than any trip that I
had ever been on before; where your work is not manifested
by
a structure
you
might build but where you attempt to heal the scars
which don't show. . .
The beauty of Ireland passing by our van, giving way
to Union Jack, Irish Tri-Color, Israeli, and Palestinian
flags all along the road to Belfast. The Republicans
sympathize with the Palestinian cause and the Loyalists
with the Israeli. The Republicans feel they are oppressed
by an invader, and the Loyalists side with those who
do not want to give their land.
Touring a vibrant and energetic City Center, only to
see upon closer inspection the barbed wire along the
roofs and the helicopters on constant patrol
Staying in a beautiful Retreat House, a true sanctuary
which has been used by both sides in the conflict to
try and reconcile their differences and the humble, wonderful
priests who were our hosts
Working at the 174 Trust, a neutral sanctuary in North
Belfast that is trying through fellowship, respect, and
inclusion to begin a healing process that will take a
very long time
Journeying through the toughest neighborhoods on both
sides of the "Peace Wall" to see the famous
Murals of Belfast which glorify the struggle, remember
the fallen, and continue to spout hatred and revenge
Stopping at a Republican mural and monument and happening
upon a grandfather telling two children that the names
on the stone are "heroes" never to be forgotten
and need to be ultimately avenged, peace or not
Listening to Bill Shaw, the administrator of the 174
Trust and our host, tell the story of the healing tree.
It is a tree planted in the yard of the 174 Trust to
memorialize those who have committed suicide or self-harm.
Belfast has suffered an epidemic of suicides. Who? Former
Paramilitaries who have only known war all their lives
(Since the peace, they have no purpose so they take
their
lives because they no longer can hate.); victims of Paramilitary "justice" who
were kneecapped for their misdeeds and thereby ostracized
by their neighbors; people who have been unemployed and
struggling their whole lives and see no hope at all,
even in peace
Journeying to places like People for Peace and Corymeela,
totally committed to peace, healing, and reconciliation
regardless of the side or issue. Even more incredible
are the people who are the driving force behind these
places
Holding a Nobel Peace Prize medal in my hands
The privilege of getting to know ten other incredible
people in my group and learning from all of them
I don't think any one of us really thought we could change
anything while we were over there, but I was wrong. I
did change, a lot. I saw the power of healing and the
courage and conviction needed to see the task through.
I saw that one person really can make a difference, and
that it can play forward into a force for good.
– By Mark S.
It was a different sort of sensation to walk into
a room and feel like I was being reflexively pegged as "friend" or "foe." In
Northern Ireland even little kids are known to be able
to identify Catholics and Protestants just by looking
at their pictures. Catholics' eyes are too close together;
Protestants' eyes are too far apart. Whether that's true
doesn't matter. It's a story people told us several times
in this place long propelled and compelled by lore.
The initial feeling of discomfort gave me an idea of
what it's like to live in a world where my view of myself
can be very different from how others view me. In Northern
Ireland, this phenomenon of difference grows with centuries
of stories set in battlegrounds, churches, streets, and
pubs where somebody was hurt by someone else for reasons
that are elusive or irrelevant in a world where we all
should remember to love our neighbor in all we do. The "love thy neighbor" bit of biblical wisdom
was described to us one night as "the hard Gospel." In
a discussion of "the Troubles" as they involve
Protestants (principally Presbyterians) and Catholics,
Doug Baker, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission worker
based in Belfast, explained his "hard Gospel" efforts
to bring people together "simply to explore issues
and meet each other, with no titles or tables or decisions
to be made." Baker's story is a provocative one, one that not all
churches buy into. Some see this dialogue as a "distraction" from
the "real issues" (whatever they are).
During my few days traveling through Northern Ireland,
I wasn't able to determine the real issues. Christians
fighting Christians is not new. But I came away with
the feeling that if people would start telling new stories-stories
of hope and reconciliation as embodied by Doug Baker
and others we met at the 174 Trust's community center
in Belfast and the Corrymeela ecumenical retreat on the
awesome northern seaside coast-then maybe attitudes might
change and God's vision for us will be realized.
– By Joe P.
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Welcoming
Christian Community
An article reprinted from the October "Our Common Ministry"
with permission
Northern Ireland is a country with unsurpassed natural
beauty, particularly along coastal waters of the Irish Sea
and Atlantic
Ocean. I spent a week in Belfast, Northern Ireland in mid-August.
For thirty-five years people there have struggled in what
the Northern Irish call “the troubles.” Intractable,
intense differences over issues of class, politics, economics,
and religion have been a toxic recipe for chronic hatred,
violence, and death. Over the years, Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) mission personnel in Belfast (and many others) have
worked, hoped, and prayed for reconciliation.
Hostilities have subsided recently and, although “the
troubles” are far from over, people are increasingly
taking hold of renewed hope for peace. We heard stories of
Christian hospitality in Belfast. Bill Shaw, a minister of
the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, is executive director
of “174 Trust.” The Trust provides essential
human services in a predominantly catholic neighborhood.
Bill told a story about PIPS, an acronym for Public Initiative
for the Prevention of Self Harm and Suicide.
PIPS began when Bill invited neighborhood residents to a
program in memory of young men, both Catholics and Protestants,
who committed suicide in the wake of more peaceful times.
Although the reasons for these suicides are complex, a common
thread is aggression turned inward. Whereas, previously the
young men were champions of violence in the cause of justice,
recent progress toward peace proved effective by other means.
Tragically, less violent times brought loss of purpose and
self-esteem. Unable to redirect their aggression in constructive
ways, it was turned inward.
About thirty people known to be affected by suicides were
invited to the service of remembrance, but more than three
hundred showed up. As it turns out, suicide-related brokenness
in the community, another sad consequence of “the troubles,” was
far more severe than anyone realized.
Soon after, the 174 Trust planted a tree of remembrance on
its property with a plaque inscribed as follows: “The
silver birch, a symbol of birth, rebirth, youthfulness, love,
and purity, planted in memory of those whose lives have been
affected by suicide and self harm.” That tree is a
common place of consolation for Catholics and Protestants
with broken hearts, but also a humble symbol of hope for
reconciliation in Belfast.
PIPS is a compassionate illustration of what it means to
be a welcoming Christian community. By God’s grace,
may mission throughout the Presbytery of Chicago be similarly
compassionate and welcoming.
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